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Jehovah’s Witnesses Pivot Their Public Ministry During COVID-19 Lockdown

According to Hendriks, nearly 51,000 people in the United States last year made a request for a Witness to contact them, either through a local congregation or jw.org, the official website of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Since the pandemic, the Witnesses have followed up on these requests via letters and phone calls instead of in-person visits.

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Andrena Morris of Oakland, California, transitions from knocking on doors to making phone calls during the pandemic. Photo by Hannah Long.

Jehovah’s Witnesses are known worldwide for their door-to-door public witnessing. Due to the pandemic, this hallmark method of sharing comfort and hope from the Scriptures has been curtailed for more than a year. Historically, Jehovah’s Witnesses were seen in Oakland regularly engaging in the door-to-door ministry. The pandemic has necessitated a strategic pivot in their methods.
Long-time Oakland resident and local Jehovah’s Witness Andrena Morris is still sharing Bible truths but has found a different avenue of preaching.

“Before COVID-19, I volunteered my time by walking door to door in West Oakland, sharing a positive message from the Bible. Now, I use the telephone, texting, and letter writing to share the same comforting message as if we were face to face. I also use our website, jw.org, as a great resource for sending video links and articles that help people cope in this pandemic.

“The response to my new witnessing methods has been exciting,” Morris said.

In March 2020, some 1.3 million Witnesses in the United States suspended their in-person preaching activities. This was a significant change for Jehovah’s Witnesses, from meeting together and speaking with community members face to face to attending Zoom meetings and conducting outreach through phone calls and letter writing.

“The pandemic has been a cloud with several silver linings,” said David Cohen, who helps organize the ministry in the Bay Area. “Congregation meeting attendance is up 25% or more in various parts of the Bay Area. Friends and families of Witnesses have also been joining our meetings.”

Cohen continued, “It was amazing to see how quickly, within a week or two, we pivoted to virtual meetings and ministry. The enthusiastic response was immediate among our local Witnesses, including those with severe health limitations. A number seized this opportunity to do more. It actually has helped many become more involved.”

“It has been a very deliberate decision based on two principles: our respect for life and love of neighbor, but we are still witnesses and, as such, we must testify about our faith. So, it was inevitable that we would find a way to continue our work,” said Robert Hendriks, U.S. spokesman for Jehovah’s Witnesses.

According to Hendriks, nearly 51,000 people in the United States last year made a request for a Witness to contact them, either through a local congregation or jw.org, the official website of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Since the pandemic, the Witnesses have followed up on these requests via letters and phone calls instead of in-person visits.

“Our love for our neighbors is stronger than ever,” said Hendriks. “In fact, I think we have needed each other more than ever. We are finding that people are perplexed, stressed, and feeling isolated. Our work has helped many regain a sense of footing – even normalcy – at a very unsettled time.”

Witnesses have also made a concerted effort to check on distant friends and family—sometimes texting links to Bible-based articles on jw.org that cover timely topics, such as isolation, depression, and how to beat pandemic fatigue.

For more information on the activities of Jehovah’s Witnesses, visit their website jw.org, with content available in more than 1,033 languages.

Activism

Oakland Post: Week of March 15 – 21, 2023

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of March 15 – 21, 2023

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The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of March 15 - 21, 2023

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.

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Arts and Culture

‘Put Ur Play On’ Productions Showcases Local Talent at Laney College

On Saturday, Feb. 26 at the Laney College Odell Johnson Theater, the Third Annual Black Centric Showcase celebrated Black History Month. The show depicted eras of Black history, while featuring talent showcases of monologues, skits, dance, rap and singing expressing the past, present and future.

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Actors in stage production “Unapologetically Black: Here to Facilitate Harm Reduction Services for Those in Need, Inc.” (l-r): Toni Rochelle, David Cesari, Ziare Whitelow, Christina Gluszaczak, Harley Ford, Cody Johnson, Shayna Howlett, Tyler Mae and Anthony Dixon. Photo by Carla Thomas.
Actors in stage production “Unapologetically Black: Here to Facilitate Harm Reduction Services for Those in Need, Inc.” (l-r): Toni Rochelle, David Cesari, Ziare Whitelow, Christina Gluszaczak, Harley Ford, Cody Johnson, Shayna Howlett, Tyler Mae and Anthony Dixon. Photo by Carla Thomas.

By Carla Thomas

On Saturday, Feb. 26 at the Laney College Odell Johnson Theater, the Third Annual Black Centric Showcase celebrated Black History Month. The show depicted eras of Black history, while featuring talent showcases of monologues, skits, dance, rap and singing expressing the past, present and future.

“The showcase was designed to feature talented members of the community performing all eras of Black history: Where we are from, where we have been, and where are we going,” said Saleemah Jones, production company founder-producer of “Put Ur Play On” with assistant director Angel Galloway.

Pamela Terry performed a monologue spun from August Wilson’s “Fences.” Terry responded to a casting call ad for the role. “Through my audition I learned about the production company, Saleemah Jones, and assistant director, Angel Galloway,” said Terry. “These two sisters are brilliant in their work to improve the quality of life in the community.” She said the experience was both inspiring and challenging.

AKIL of Oakland performed his original song “Gave Us 28,” referring to the number of days in February for Black History Month. “I like to produce positive rap,” said AKIL. “They gave us 28 but every day we make history.”

Other performances featured an original skit on love by Lauren Black and Erynne-Dnae of Cotati, California, and a poem by Oakland middle-schooler Talia Rochelle entitled “Go to the Back, Rosa Parks.” “Rosa Parks is an important, strong, brave woman in Black history,” she said.

Paris Jackson Jr. performed an original dance.

Gary Moore of San Francisco performed a monologue from August Wilson’s “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.” Shelly Broadnax performed an original poem entitled “MIBPOC,” about having to check the ‘other’ box when filling out surveys and applications.

IMAC FADICHI of Chicago performed an original rap, “The Good Show,” and Pierre Jones of Richmond performed an original monologue entitled, “Black Caesar.”

The second half of the show included the stage production “Unapologetically Black: Here to Facilitate Harm Reduction Services for Those in Need, Inc.,” written by Itoro Bassey, a Nigerian playwright.

“Itoro reached out to us, and we thought it was a great way to put this perspective on our platform to raise voices,” said Jones, play producer.

The production, satiric in nature, explored the seriousness of Black and white race relations including white privilege and white insensitivity toward African Americans in everyday situations.

In one scene a white male doctor talks to a Black female patient in a dismissive manner. At the height of their disagreement, the two actors are frozen in time. A third actor enters, “Dr. Find You an Ally,” performed by Anthony Dixon, who narrates the situation and offers to serve as a white ally for the Black woman for 24 hours at the price of $59.99.

The actors unfreeze and the Black woman joins the narrator, as he explains his services including a bootcamp provided to retrain white perpetrators and transform their behavior into one of respect, understanding and empathy toward Black people.

Actors in the production included Tyler Mae, David Cesari, Shayna Howlett, Toni Rochelle, Ziare Whitelow, Christina Gluszaczak, Harley Ford and Cody Johnson.

“It’s been great to combine a showcase featuring some of the best in Bay Area talent with a stage play production written by a Nigerian sister,” said Jones. “The month may have 28 days, but we are 365 days a year, 24-7 making history,” said Galloway.

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Business

OCCUR, S.F. Foundation Offer Funding Workshop for Faith-Based Groups Virtual Workshop on March 23, 2023

“Faiths and nonprofit leaders become frustrated when they submit good proposals, but still don’t get funded. But there’s a missing ingredient — knowing how to find funding partners that actually want to deliver that check so you can get the work done,” says Michelle Edmond, instructor of the upcoming OCCUR and The San Francisco Foundation FAITHS capacity building training, Getting Funded Part 2: The Path to Finding Your Best Funding Partners.

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Michelle Edmond is the founder and CEO of the Jamko Foundation
Michelle Edmond is the founder and CEO of the Jamko Foundation.

“Faiths and nonprofit leaders become frustrated when they submit good proposals, but still don’t get funded. But there’s a missing ingredient — knowing how to find funding partners that actually want to deliver that check so you can get the work done,” says Michelle Edmond, instructor of the upcoming OCCUR and The San Francisco Foundation FAITHS capacity building training, Getting Funded Part 2: The Path to Finding Your Best Funding Partners.

“That’s what they’ll learn in this session,” says Edmond. “In Getting Funded Part 1, leaders learned how to craft a strong master proposal, but that’s just half of the puzzle. Now let’s pursue the funding,” she says.

There are myriad funding sources available to faith-based and nonprofit organizations, but finding the right match is often confusing. Edmond, CEO and founder of the Jamko, brings a long, successful track record of mentoring and training nonprofit and faith-based organizations in research and other fund development techniques.

Participants will learn:

  • How to identify and apply to a variety of funders that are eager to fund impactful programs
  • Which foundations and corporations are good sources for funding for your work
  • How to self-screen to minimize rejections
  • How to get free access to online resources through public library system portals
  • Understanding how to advocate for your work
  • Confidence to navigate in an arena that is hidden from small nonprofits
  • Information that is available on a wide variety of websites and platforms

“We are excited to bring a master teacher of Michelle Edmond’s caliber to the program,” said Carmen Bogan, lead consultant for the San Francisco Foundation program called A Model Built on Faith. “We are also pleased to announce that organizations who attend both sessions are eligible to apply for a grant to receive proposal grant writing and grant research consulting support. After many years in this work, OCCUR is still in the trenches with our nonprofit and faiths organizations. We are committed to their success because their success changes lives. And it’s long past time for our community programs to be funded.”

This training is recommended for individuals new to funding research as well as those who want to polish their research skills and build confidence to navigate in this arena, which is swiftly changing.

Date: March 23, 2023

Time: 9 a.m. – 11 a.m. PDT

Location: Virtual training, Zoom Meeting ID: 861 4945 3331

To Register for the Event: Visit AModelBuiltOnFaith.org

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